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An alternate view on cameras in phones ...
Lights, cell-phone camera, action
COLLEGE, CELLULAR FIRM PARTNER IN FILM PROJECT
Sometimes, what you really want is a just a fucking phone
My old mobile phone is starting to have problems with the power connector, after 3+ years of hard use. I can't replace it with the same model, because it lacks e911, a mandatory feature for my carrier, Verizon. Besides, I want to get bluetooth so I can do hands free without screwing around with wires while I'm driving.
So here's my wish list ...
required
- tri-mode: AMPS, CDMA 1900/800 (I need AMPS, the old analog service, so I can use the phone off the beaten track.)
- NO camera (Some companies don't allow cameras in their buildings. Connectivity is, by definition, sucky if the phone is stuck at a receptionist's desk. Besides, I have a bunch of cameras already. Further, Verizon requires the use of "picture messaging". WTF? Most decent phones have USB. Why would I want to pay extra to send the picture to myself over their network?)
- blue tooth and voice commands (So I can comply with the new "hands free" law when driving. It's a good idea anyway on windy mountain roads.)
nice to have
- 1xRTT or EV-DO modem capability
- GSM would be sweet, but I'm not travelling to Europe much these days, so it doesn't come up much. (It's not a feature of any phone that Verizon supports. And most GSM phones don't do AMPS, so it's an impass.)
- PDA functionality with POP3 & sync to MS Outlook calendar
The two high-end phone without a camera are Blackberrys, but no AMPS. The two low-end phones without a camera lack bluetooth.
So, I may settle for an LG VX5300 with a blob of opaque epoxy on the lens of the camera that I really don't need and don't want. It does have data capabilites, but weak ones. I've already got an EV-DO card for my lap top, so I can live with that.
NEC dual-mode chip can power both Blu-ray, HD DVD at no extra cost
Microsoft Zune's As Good As Dead On Arrival
Fluffy article about Cisco's streaming video play
HD settop box issues with IPTV, including some Broadcom v. MSTV sniping.
Sirius adds wifi and MP3 capabilities
Motorola Makes Video Buy
The Schaumburg, Ill., wireless titan said Monday it acquired Vertasent, a closely held video-application developer, for an undisclosed price.
The Colmar, Pa., tech shop designs software to support advanced digital services like video on demand and video over the Net.
Martin Geddes over at Telepocalypse has some interesting thoughts about how media delivery systems will evolve.
Do what you do best
DirecTV-Liberty Media Deal Still Many Weeks Away
LOS ANGELES, CA, Sept. 19, 2006/Satnews Daily/ — A proposed deal involving Rupert Murdoch’s sale of New Corp’s 38 percent stake in DirecTV to Liberty Media, which is controlled by fellow billionaire media mogul John Malone is still weeks and weeks away, according to an executive familiar with the talks.
Incompatibility dogs mobile TV
Interoperability a concern as the first rollouts test waters
YouTube inks deal with Warner
Microsoft enters online video fray
SOAPBOX SERVICE HAS CATCHING UP TO DO WITH SITES LIKE YOUTUBE
Sacre bleu, MS is supporting Apple's OS, Firefox and Adobe Flash.
AOL to offer video on Intel's Viiv PCs
Intel and AOL announced an alliance Monday in which AOL will make thousands of hours of video programming available on Intel's Viiv-branded home computers.
The AOL Video For Intel Viiv service will allow consumers to download movies, TV shows and other programs to their computers and watch them on the computer or TV set. The videos include recent DVD movie releases, 45 channels of on-demand video programs, and AOL's video search index that helps consumers find videos.
Much of the content will be free. Other features include 250 radio stations and AOL's online digital pictures service.
RealNetworks, SanDisk to take on iPod
New music pair-ups: SanDisk and RealNetworks; YouTube and Warner Music
Microsoft's Zune Won't Play Protected Windows Media
In yesterday's announcement of the new Zune media player and Zune Marketplace, Microsoft (and many press reports) glossed over a remarkable misfeature that should demonstrate once and for all how DRM and the DMCA harm legitimate customers.
Tech firms up in arms over proposed television rights treaty
Leaders weirdly silent on sweeping broadcast treaty
If the programs are stolen — for example, the signals retransmitted by another party without permission, sold as an unauthorized DVD or performed publicly without the requisite license — the copyright owner may assert their rights, but in some countries the broadcasters are left with limited ability to protect their interests.
What started as an attempt to address this relatively narrow issue has since mushroomed into a massive treaty that would grant broadcasters in some countries many new rights. These include an exclusive right of retransmission for over-the-air television signals (retransmission involves capturing a broadcast signal and rebroadcasting it without permission of the copyright holder or the original broadcaster) and more than doubling the term of protection for broadcasts to 50 years from the current 20-year term. Moreover, exceptions and limitations to these rights, a hallmark of a balanced policy approach, would be optional for countries that adopt the treaty.
Apple expected to launch movie downloads
Sleek gadget maker may also unveil new iPods
Motorola and Nokia DVB-Hugging
The world's two largest mobile manufacturers have agreed to collaborate on mobile TV.
Motorola and Nokia announced today they will be working together to promote DVB-H, one standard used for broadcast mobile TV, with a view to interoperability between all their relevant kit and services.
The pair have also thrown their collective weight behind DVB-IPDC standardisation efforts.
446 Million Watching TV on Their Cell Phones By 2011
Microsoft's Windows Media DRM 10 Cracked
New side link -- Converge! Network Digest